Australia reintroduced COVID-19 curbs such as mandated mask wearing indoors, capacity limits and QR code check-ins to cover most of the population on Thursday as daily infections hit a fresh record, fuelled by the highly infectious Omicron variant.
The changes for 17 million people two days before Christmas mark a reversal of the country’s plans for a permanent reopening after nearly two years of stop-start lockdowns as the new variant rages through the community in spite of double-vaccination rates of more than 90%, Reuters reports.
Hospitalisations and deaths remained low, but the explosion of infections had created a risk of healthcare workers being furloughed by testing positive, the authorities said.
The country recorded more than 8,200 new cases, by far its biggest daily rise since the pandemic began, from a previous record of 5,600 a day earlier, mostly in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria.
A health worker looks on at the Histopath pre-departure COVID testing clinic at Sydney International airport, as testing increases as Sydneysiders travel for Christmas amid rising case numbers. Photograph: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Here’s a quick take on where New Zealand stands with its fight against Covid from our reporter in Wellington, Eva Corlett.
As the Covid-19 pandemic hurtles towards its second anniversary, New Zealand will emerge from 2021 with some of the best health outcomes in the world, despite confronting its toughest few pandemic months.
This year New Zealand experienced its longest lockdown, its highest daily case numbers (222 in mid-November), more hospitalisations than in 2020 and a pivot away from the government’s ambitious elimination approach to one of strict virus control. But it can now boast a 90% double vaccination for the eligible population and one of the lowest per capita death rates, while its cases in the current outbreak are trending downwards.
Customers enjoy a coffee at a cafe in Auckland after emerging from a long lockdown. Photograph: David Rowland/AFP/Getty Images
As other countries reimpose restrictions alongside the Omicron variant’s emergence, New Zealanders can look forward to celebrating Christmas and the new year with family and friends. With no community cases of Omicron yet detected, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, sports venues and night clubs remain open with minimal constraints aimed mostly at the unvaccinated.
Read the full story here.
If you’ve just joined or you’re waking up over in the UK here is a quick snapshot of the how Covid is unfolding across the world:
Omicron carries lower hospitalisation risk and does not cause more severe illness than previous variants, studies from the UK and South Africa suggest.
China locks down 13 million people in Xi’an after detecting 127 Covid cases. All residents are barred from leaving their houses except to buy living necessities every other day or for emergencies.
Australian states reimpose mask mandates with NSW and Victoria set to join Queensland, the ACT, Tasmania and parts of the Northern Territory in requiring masks for inside areas.
Organisers of the Beijing Winter Olympics said they expect a “certain number” of Covid-19 cases in China due to foreigners arriving for the Games.
South Korea set a new record for Covid deaths on Thursday.
Emergency Covid testing sites are being set up in hard-hit areas across the US.
Americans vaccinated and boosted who choose to attend large gatherings over the holidays may not be safe, even for those who received a booster dose, top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said.
In Quebec,Canada, gatherings inside homes will be limited to six people or two family bubbles beginning the day after Christmas.
Hello. Samantha Lock here as we continue to go through all the latest Covid developments from across the world.
If you’ve just joined us it’s been a particularly fast-moving past 24 hours as researchers rush to understand the severity of Omicron and nations reimpose Covid curbs.
Let’s start with some promising news that the Omicron variant – which has so far been detected in 106 countries – may be less severe than other coronavirus strains such as Delta.
The latest data suggest Omicron does not cause more severe illness than previous variants, but soaring infection numbers could still cause more deaths.
An Imperial College study analysed hospitalisations and vaccine records among both Omicron and Delta Covid cases in England between 1 and 14 December.
Researchers found the Omicron variant appears to be milder, with a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight.
A separate, preliminary analysis of Omicron cases in Scotland pointed to an even greater reduction in the risk of hospitalisation compared with Delta. Scientists on the Eave II study, using hospital data from 23 November to 19 December, concluded that the risk of hospitalisation may be 70% lower with Omicron than Delta.
While Omicron takes hold across Europe, parts of Asia are still battling the Delta variant.
South Korea set a new record for Covid deaths on Thursday, reporting another 6,919 new coronavirus cases and 109 related deaths in the past 24 hours, according to data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
A record number of 1,083 people were also admitted to hospital with serious symptoms and in critical condition.
The Asian nation is struggling to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases that is placing intense pressure on medical services, reportedly prompting the prime minister, Kim Boo-kyum, to commit to securing an additional 10,000 hospital beds for patients with moderate to serious symptoms by the middle of next month.
In case you missed our earlier story, Rhoda Kwan has more on the Chinese lockdown as she reports from Taipei.
Up to 13 million people have been placed into lockdown in the city of Xi’an in China’s north, as authorities move to clamp down on the community spread of Covid-19 after 127 infections were found in a second round of mass testing.
The snap lockdown on Thursday comes little over a month before Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics.
Bicyclists wearing face masks to protect against Covid-19 wait at an intersection in Beijing on 23 December as China orders a lockdown of as many as 13 million people in the northern city of Xi’an. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP
All residents in Xi’an are barred from leaving their houses except to buy living necessities every other day or for emergencies, while travel to and from the city is suspended save for in exceptional circumstances requiring official approval. All non-essential businesses have also been closed.
Authorities issued an order late on Wednesday, according to the state news agency Xinhua. The vice-premier, Sun Chunlan, has travelled to the region to oversee implementation of the lockdown.
The lockdown measures are some of the most severe since China locked down 11 million residents in Wuhan in early 2020, where the Covid-19 virus was first detected.
Read the full story here.
India is reporting a daily increase of 7,495 new Covid infections.
The south Asia country also recorded another 434 deaths with a cumulative death toll nearing half a million at 478,759, according to the health ministry.
A healthcare worker gives a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to a man inside a vaccination centre in Ahmedabad, India. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters
Speaking of Australia, here is a visual snapshot of where the country stands in its fight against the coronavirus.
The premier of Australia’s most populous state of NSW, Dominic Perrottet, addressed the media on Thursday to confirm masks will be mandated for inside areas and density limits would also be imposed.
As of midnight tonight, we will be requiring that masks are worn in indoor settings.
We are encouraging people, particularly over the holiday period, if you can work from home, please work from home.
We’ll be moving from hospitality venues indoors to two square metres from December 27 to January 27 … And also the indoor face mask requirement will also be in place until January 27 as well.”
Pedestrians walk through Pitt Street Mall on 17 December in Sydney, Australia, as NSW prepares to reintroduce mask mandates for inside areas. Photograph: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images
Perrottet cautioned against mingling, saying:
In addition to that, we’re encouraging people not to mingle and when you’re out and out at a restaurant or cafe and a pub or a club, please where possible don’t mingle.
The news follows the state of Victoria, which recently reintroduced an indoor mask mandate on advice of the chief health officer.
From 11.59 tonight, face masks will be required in all indoor settings, except private homes, for persons eight and over.Face masks will also be required at major outdoor events for people over 30,000 people. They can be removed when seated.
Mask mandates are now, or will in the next 24 hours, be in place in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, Tasmania, parts of the Northern Territory and certain high-risk settings in South Australia.
Organisers of the Beijing Winter Olympics said they expect a “certain number” of Covid-19 cases in China due to foreigners arriving for the Games, and strongly urged participants to get vaccination boosters due to the spread of the Omicron variant, Reuters news agency reports.
The Games, set to run from 4 February to 20 February, will take place in a “closed loop” in order to contain the spread of the virus in China, which has among the strictest Covid curbs in the world and has largely managed to contain local outbreaks.
The 2022 Winter Olympics athletes’ village in Zhangjiakou seen conducting a full-scale test to identify problems and ensure the smooth operation of venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing. Photograph: VCG/Getty Images
Han Zirong, vice president and secretary-general of the Beijing organising committee, told a press briefing on Thursday:
A large number of people from different countries and regions will come to China and the flow of people will increase. Consequently, a certain number of positive cases will become a high probability event.”
China will not allow overseas spectators at the Games and has reported five cases of the Omicron variant, including four from people entering the country from overseas.
America’s National Hockey League yesterday announced that its players will not participate in Beijing.
Meanwhile in neighbouring Japan, the government is not considering an immediate change to current Covid-19 restrictions, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Thursday, a day after community transmission of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was discovered.
The government confirmed on Wednesday that a family of three based in the western city of Osaka had the Omicron variant and the origin of how they had caught the virus could not be traced.
Japan decided to extend strict border controls “for the time being”, the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said yesterday despite criticism from students waiting to take up university places and families who say they have been unfairly separated by the restrictions. Kishida had originally said those measures would stay in place until early January.
Japan is recording comparatively few daily cases, but Kishida warned of the need to remain vigilant, speed up the booster rollout and promote the use of orally administered Covid-19 drugs, the Kyodo news agency said.
Thailand is reporting another 2,940 new coronavirus cases and 30 deaths.
This is an increase on the 2,532 new coronavirus cases and 31 deaths on Wednesday, according to the ministry of health.
Thai dancers wear face mask and face shield as country reports another 2,940 new coronavirus cases and 30 deaths. Photograph: Diego Azubel/EPA
Thailand has also reinstated mandatory Covid quarantine for foreign visitors and scrapped a quarantine waiver. The move was confirmed by the government, which said the action was being taken due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant.
Malaysia is also reporting another 3,419 locally-transmitted Covid cases and 29 deaths, according to the ministry of health.
South Korea has just released its daily Covid report, setting a new record for Covid deaths on Thursday.
The east Asian nation reported another 6,919 new coronavirus cases for Wednesday and 109 deaths, according to data released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
A record number of 1,083 people have been admitted to hospital with serious symptoms and in critical condition.
The previous record high of critically ill patients was 1,063 recorded earlier this week.
The number of deaths has also just surpassed 5,000 with 5,015 cumulative deaths reported.
Pedestrians walk on a pavement as it snows in Seoul on 18 December as South Korea reports a record number of people admitted to hospital with serious Covid-19 symptoms and in critical condition. Photograph: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
South Korea is struggling to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases that is placing intense pressure on medical services, prompting the prime minister, Kim Boo-kyum, to commit to securing an additional 10,000 hospital beds for patients with moderate to serious symptoms by the middle of next month, the Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korea now requires citizens over 18 to present a quarantine pass, proof of Covid vaccination or negative PCR test to access indoor sports events, cinemas and concert halls. Other new restrictions include social distancing measures that will last until at least 2 January, limiting gatherings to no more than four people and forcing restaurants, cafes and bars to close by 9pm.
Emergency Covid testing sites are being set up in hard-hit areas across the US.
The first site opened in New York City on Wednesday, with more set to open next week.
Sites such as the one just opened in NYC hopes to provide 25,000 free PCR tests a week.
The new testing sites follow criticism of a widespread Covid testing shortage before the holidays. A surging demand for tests, driven by the new variant and the winter holidays, has led to long lines and shortages around the country.
Pressed about US testing shortages amid the Omicron surge, US president Joe Biden conceded in an interview with ABC that “nothing’s been good enough”.
“We’re nearly two years into the pandemic and a year into your presidency. Empty shelves and no test kits in some places, three days before Christmas … is that good enough?” asked ABC’s David Muir.
“No, nothing’s been good enough,” said Biden. “I wish I had thought about ordering” the 500m at-home tests two months ago, the president later added.
The White House(@WhiteHouse)
Yesterday, @POTUS committed to setting up emergency COVID-19 testing sites in hard-hit areas. Today, the first of these sites opened in NYC, with more to open in the next week. Together, these federal sites in New York City will be able to provide 25,000 free PCR tests/week. pic.twitter.com/iXk1oKwx9l
December 22, 2021
Americans vaccinated and boosted who choose to attend large gatherings over the holidays may not be safe, even for those who received a booster dose, top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday.
Fauci told a White House briefing:
There are many of these parties that have 30, 40, 50 people in which you do not know the vaccination status of individuals. Those are the kind of functions in the context of Omicron that you do not want to go to.”
The seven-day average of Covid-19 cases in the United States rose 25% from the previous week to about 149,300 cases per day, said US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, with average daily deaths up 3.5% at 1,200.
Over in Canada, Quebec’s premier has just announced that beginning the day after Christmas, gatherings inside homes will be limited to six people or two family bubbles.
Restaurants are already operating at half capacity and need to close their doors at 10pm. Now they will also have to limit groups at tables to six people or two families from 26 December.
People wear face masks as they walk along Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal, as Quebec prepares to limit gatherings inside homes to six people or two family bubbles. Photograph: Graham Hughes/AP
Premier Francois Legault said the “exponential” increase in coronavirus infections over the past week is continuing. He said Quebec will report about 9,000 news cases for Wednesday.
“For the past week, the number of cases has increased very rapidly,” Legault said.
Earlier this week, the French-speaking Canadian province abruptly closed bars, gyms and schools and warned that further restrictions could be coming while awaiting projections on the spread of the virus and its impact on hospitalisations.
If you missed our earlier stories detailing the results of two recent studies out of the UK and South Africa, here’s a brief run-down on what it all means.
An Imperial College study analysed hospitalisations and vaccine records among both Omicron and Delta Covid cases in England between 1 and 14 December.
Researchers found the Omicron variant appears to be milder, with a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight.
A separate, preliminary analysis of Omicron cases in Scotland pointed to an even greater reduction in the risk of hospitalisation compared with Delta. Scientists on the Eave II study, using hospital data from 23 November to 19 December, concluded that the risk of hospitalisation may be 70% lower with Omicron than Delta.
South Africa has also reported data on Covid cases driven by the Omicron variant that appears to give added impetus to claims Omicron carries a lower severity of disease.
“In South Africa, this is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe,” said Prof Cheryl Cohen of the country’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), one of the authors of the study.
“Compellingly, together our data really suggest a positive story of a reduced severity of Omicron compared to other variants,” she said during a news conference by a group of NICD scientists on Wednesday.
Hello it’s Samantha Lock back with you on the blog as we near the end of the week and the countdown to the holiday break really begins.
I’ll be bringing you all the latest Covid developments from across the world.
Let’s start with some promising news that the Omicron variant – which has so far been detected in 106 countries – may be less severe than other coronavirus strains such as Delta.
The latest data suggest Omicron does not cause more severe illness than previous variants, but soaring infection numbers could still cause more deaths.
“We do have some data suggesting that rates of hospitalisation are lower,” said WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19, Maria van Kerkhove, while cautioning against drawing conclusions from early data.
Kerkhove’s statement seems to be backed by two studies out of South Africa and the UK. Researchers from the Imperial College in London found the Omicron variant appears to be milder, with a 20%-25% reduced chance of a hospital visit and at least a 40% lower risk of being admitted overnight.
The findings follow a study from South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) which found “reduced severity” of Omicron compared to other variants.
“In South Africa, this is the epidemiology: Omicron is behaving in a way that is less severe,” said NICD professor Cheryl Cohen.
As Covid numbers continue to increase throughout practically all regions of the world, China is continuing to pursue it’s strict Covid-zero policy.
Authorities in the northern city of Xi’an have imposed a stringent lockdown after 52 new reported infections were recorded.
More than 13 million people will be ordered to stay at home except to buy necessities once every two days or in emergencies from midnight on Thursday.
Here’s a run-down of all the Covid news you may have missed:
Europe
Covid booster drives are likely to prolong the pandemic, head of the World Health Organization has said.
The WHO’s European chief has warned countries to brace for a “significant surge” in cases as Omicron spreads across the continent.
The WHO also cautioned there is not enough data on Omicron severity yet.
European countries including Germany, Sweden, Finland and Portugal announced they will reimpose Covid curbs just before or after Christmas.
Italy’s prime minister Mario Draghi said the government is preparing new Covid restrictions, including the return to mandatory mask-wearing outdoors and the use of more protective FFP2 masks indoors.
Wales will impose a rule of six in pubs, cinemas and restaurants from 26 December.
France could soon have around 100,000 new Covid cases a day, health minister Olivier Veran said on Wednesday, up from around 70,000 currently as the country battles a fifth wave of the epidemic.
France on Wednesday also opened vaccinations to children aged between five and 11.
The UK recorded 106,122 new Covid cases on Wednesday, the highest daily figure since the beginning of the pandemic and the first time cases have passed 100,000.
Britain has signed contracts to buy a further 4.25m courses of antivirals for its health service to help combat the Omicron variant.
England cuts Covid self-isolation to seven days with a negative test.
Denmark will tighten restrictions in schools from 5 January with pupils and staff taking two weekly tests, staff and parents urged to wear facemasks.
Belgium is set to close cinemas and theatres close from this weekend in tightening of Covid measures.
Face masks will once again be compulsory at all times outdoors in Spain.
Germany’s new health minister Karl Lauterbach suggested a fourth Covid-19 vaccine dose would be required in order to protect against the
AstraZeneca has said it is working with Oxford University to produce a vaccine for the Omicron variant.
